Geranium plant named ‘Memories’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Geranium  plant named ‘Memories’, characterized by its upright, broadly spreading and compact plant habit; numerous red purple-colored flowers with dark purple venation; and long flowering period.

Botanical designation: Geranium cinereum.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Memories’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant, botanically known as Geranium cinereum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Memories.

The new Geranium originated from a chance cross-pollination in 1999 of an unnamed selection of Geranium cinereum, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Geranium cinereum as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Geranium was discovered by the Inventor in 2000 in a controlled environment in Newport, Shropshire, United Kingdom. Plants of the new Geranium differ primarily from plants of the female parental selection in flower color.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions in Newport, Shropshire, United Kingdom since 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Geranium are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Memories have not been observed under all possible environmental and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, irrigation amount and frequency, and/or fertilizer rate without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Memories’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Memories’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, broadly spreading and compact plant habit.     -   2. Numerous red purple-colored flowers with dark purple         venation.     -   3. Long flowering period.

Plants of the new Geranium can be compared to plants of the cultivar Carol, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,124. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Newport, Shropshire, United Kingdom, plants of the new Geranium differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Carol in flower color as plants of the cultivar Carol had purple-colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Geranium, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Geranium.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical one-year old flowering plant of ‘Memories’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical open flower of ‘Memories’.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical leaf of ‘Memories’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for the following description were about one year old and grown under outdoor field conditions which closely approximate commercial production conditions during the spring and summer in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10 to 27° C. and night temperatures ranged from 3 to 12° C.

-   Botanical classification: Geranium cinereum cultivar Memories. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unnamed Geranium cinereum             selection, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown Geranium cinereum             selection, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—By cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About one month at 12° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; orange brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and habit.—Perennial flowering plant; upright to             broadly spreading and mounded growth habit. Compact plant             habit; broad inverted triangle. Moderately vigorous.         -   Plant height.—About 14.5 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 22.5 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Number per plant: About 15.             Length: About 8.5 cm. Diameter: About 1.2 mm. Internode             length: About 4.1 cm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Densely pubescent. Color: 138B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Basal rosette and             alternate on lateral branches. Length, basal leaves: About             3.6 cm. Width, basal leaves: About 4 cm. Length, branch             leaves: About 1.5 cm. Width, branch leaves: About 2.3 cm.             Shape: Orbicular. Apex: Acute. Base: Hastate; overlapping.             Margin: Plamately cleft. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Sparsely pubescent. Venation pattern: Palmate. Petiole:             Length, basal leaves: About 9.9 cm. Diameter, basal leaves:             About 1.2 mm. Length, branch leaves: About 2 cm. Diameter,             branch leaves: About 0.7 mm. Color: Developing and fully             expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing and fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C. Venation, upper             surface: 143B. Venation, lower surface: 137C to 137D.             Petiole: 143B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Appearance.—Single rounded cupped to almost flat flowers             with five petals with usually two flowers per lateral             branch. Flowers face upright to slightly outwardly.         -   Quantity of flowers.—About 90 flowers develop per plant.         -   Natural flowering season.—Long flowering period, early May             to late August in the Netherlands; flowering continuous             during this period. Flowers not persistent.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flower longevity.—About one week.         -   Flower size.—Length: About 2.6 cm. Diameter: About 1 cm.         -   Flower buds (about five days before opening).—Length: About             8 mm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Color: 137A to             137B.         -   Petals.—Length: about 1.6 cm. Width: About 1.4 cm. Shape:             Broadly obcordate. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Attenuate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Mostly             smooth; towards the base, densely pubescent. Color: When             opening, upper surface: N74A; venation, N79A. When opening,             lower surface: Between 71C and N74B; venation, N79A. Fully             opened, upper surface: N74A to N74B; venation, N79A. Fully             opened, lower surface: Between 71C and N74B; venation, N79A.         -   Sepals.—Quantity: Five. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About             4 mm. Calyx shape: Rotate, slightly cupped. Sepal shape:             Obovate to elliptic; apex, aristate; base, cuneate; margin,             entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth. Color,             upper surface: 137A. Color, lower surface: 137B.         -   Peduncle.—Length: About 7.9 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Angle: Erect to about 10° from vertical. Strength:             Moderately strong. Color: 138B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Ten. Filament             length: About 5 mm. Filament color: N79A to N79B. Anther             shape: Oblong; dorsifixed. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther             width: About 1 mm. Anther color: Between N186A and 202A.             Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color: 163B to 163C.             Pistils: Quantity: One. Pistil length: About 4 mm. Style             length: About 2.5 mm. Style color: 145B. Stigma color:             N186C. Ovary color: Densely covered with white, N155A,             hairs.         -   Seed description.—Seed development has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Geranium have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Geranium. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Geranium have been observed to     have good garden performance and to tolerate wind and rain. Plants     of the new Geranium have been observed to be hardy to USDA Zone 5     and to tolerate temperatures to about 35° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant named ‘Memories’, as illustrated and described. 